Kim Commons, Club Owner and (Former) Chess Star

 

    Kim Commons of California was a prominent IM on the US chess scene during the 1970's. He received a Bachelor's degree in physics from UCLA, but it appears he never worked in the field. Commons earned his Master title in 1968, Senior Master title 1973 and International Master title 1976. He served as a chess instructor at UCLA in 1972-1973.
     Commons was one of the most promising players in the US in the 1970’s and was good enough to be invited to participate in the US Championship but he gave up chess because he desired to, as he put it, “become a Grandmaster in real estate.” Apparently he succeeded because he eventually became a real estate broker in California.
     Since 2005 he's been in Arizona where he is President and CEO of Club Red in Mesa and he specializes in audio engineering, event planning, songwriting and advertising. Club Red boasts having over 600 free parking spaces, tour bus parking, twin theaters, good air conditioning, large professional stages, a full bar license, two levels, a green room for headliners and a professional staff. Article on Commons and the club: HERE.
     It's always great to see people successful, but you often wish they would have continued to play chess, too. Watch him maul Reshevsky in the 1974 US Championship in Chicago.